Hanzu
Hanzu '''is a mysterious, oriental island in the ''Aeon of the Champion ''story series, located in the far east of Middle-Earth. It is located within close proximity of Maztica; in fact, the island continent actually sits to the East of it, closest to Ao Guang's territory in Qinglong region. The island's native residents have historically been fiercely isolationist, so Hanzu has developed what appears to be a parallel history compared to the rest of the constituent continents of Old Vigrith. History During the re-ordering of Middle-Earth, the Earthen discovered that some areas of land had been pushed underwater by the effects of the Princes of Hell slamming into the planet's crust, 26,000 years before the original Sin War. Thus, they pooled their power and raised several of these islands above the waves, creating a new set of landmass. Thus, they were able, just as they did to the other continents, bless the life on the island with their magic, which spurred the development of Wild Gods in the region. At this point, it was still very much connected to Maztica as the landmasses bordered each other. The first Wild God on the island was Saitam, a figure known only as the Monkey God. He was a trickster figure who enjoyed playing pranks on the other gods, either by hiding their weapons or telling them impossible-to-solve riddles. Eventually, Saitam pushed his luck when he brought his games to the Dragon Kings, who ordered him out of their domain permanently under pain of death. Not wanting to risk their wrath, particularly that of Ao Qin, he subordinated to their demands and set out to rule a kingdom of his own. Saitam journeyed up Mount Kakazan in northeast Maztica. A stone sat upon the mountain, which produced magical stone eggs of roughly ball-size. He then rolled the egg down the mountain, and when it reached the end, it cracked into a stone monkey - a being formed in his image. At first, Saitam did not regard his creation as being anything that special, but the stone monkey set out to prove the god wrong by fulfilling all the tasks that the elder god required him. The Stone Monkey returned to mainland Maztica to prove his worth, coming across various other races on the island, as well as followers of the Dragon Kings. He warned his followers of a great 'impending disaster', and they took him at his word very strongly. When he returned to Saitam, having bested every challenge laid before him, the Monkey God gave him the grace of being his First Disciple. During the struggles between the Dragon Kings of Maztica, a major tectonic disaster took place resulting in a landslide. The consequence was that part of old Maztica broke off and drifted eastwards, becoming known as the island of Hanzu. The Stone Monkey's prophesy had come true, and his disciples were relieved to be on the right side of the landslide when it happened. Over the years, they developed a culture separate from the Mazticans, and the Stone Monkey worshippers evolved into a race of intelligent humanoids known as the Maqaki. The three most diligent disciples of the Stone Monkey became living legends, and they were collectively known as the '''Four Wise Monkeys. All three of them - Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru and Shizaru - embodied one of the ethos of the Stone Monkey himself: the Golden Principle of avoiding evil. As testaments to their dedication, each of them performed a Great Deed to signify the faith. Mizaru saw no evil, and thus ritualistically blinded himself with a sabre. Saitam consecrated him on the spot. Kikazaru heard no evil, so he pierced his eardrums with the ends of two arrows. Saitam adored his ideals and consecrated him too. Iwazaru spoke no evil, so he burned out the entirety of his throat with acid, including his vocal cords, so he could no longer speak. Saitam consecrated and ordained him too. Shizaru did no evil, so he removed both of his thumbs and pinkies, and did the same for his two feet - removing both big toes and small toes. Saitaim had him consecreated as the leader of the Eternal Four. The Maqaki expanded to cover the entirety of the continent, forming a great empire known as the Mak, or 'their territory'. Saitam was pleased with the success of his people, but displeased by the lack of order among them, and thus he traced the Maqaki bloodline back to the Stone Monkey and chose the firstborn descendant and made him the Sun Emperor. His offspring would later rise to take his place as ruler of the Mak, and under the wisdom of both their god and their emperor, as well as the Eternal Four, the empire prospered at a time when the rest of the world was rather chaotic. During the Sundering, Amago - the last-known Mak emperor until the present time - became aware of the impending doom and shrouded his island with a cloud of mist, keeping it out of sight and reach of outsiders. Rise of the Champion In -26, Onochi became the new Sun Emperor. Category:Continents Category:Islands Category:Locations Category:Kingdoms Category:Aeon of the Champion locations Category:Aeon of the Champion articles Category:Smurf Manian's articles Category:Countries